A member of the Minden Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board has filed a lawsuit against the board and its chairman, alleging they violated Louisiana’s open meetings law while investigating and ultimately dismissing a grievance involving the Minden Police Department’s handling of an internal disciplinary complaint.

Background

The lawsuit, filed by Minden Police Lt. Kenneth James, head of the Criminal Investigations Division, targets Board Chairman Tommy Davis. The legal action asks the district court to void the board’s May 14 decision to drop the matter, demanding a transparent, public hearing where evidence and witnesses can be brought to light.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after a controversial civil service meeting last month, where the board decided to end its probe into allegations that Police Chief Jared McIver failed to forward an internal police disciplinary complaint to the Minden City Council for review.

Alleged Violations

The lawsuit challenges the legality of the events surrounding the board’s meeting last month, including secret witness interviews and illegal executive sessions. The board failed to notify the public of its intent to enter an executive session on the posted agenda and failed to declare a valid legal reason before doing so.

Davis is accused of “willful” violations of Louisiana’s open meetings law, given his extensive career in local government, including five years as the mayor of Minden and six years as a Minden City Council member.

The lawsuit seeks individual civil penalties against Davis, which can run up to $500 per violation. James is seeking a judgment that will declare the board’s interviews and executive sessions illegal, void the board’s May 14 vote to drop the case, and issue a writ of mandamus forcing the board to conduct a fully public, transparent hearing.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.